More needed to ensure welfare of domesticated elephants

The decision by the Government of Thailand to take back the tusker Muthu Raja which was gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 was a relief to the animal and animal rights activists who put a concerted effort for its repatriation. There was a sigh of relief when Muthu Raja touched down in his home country, and as seen by video footage, released after his return, the animal has readjusted to the land of his birth with ease.

While this is good news, the whole episode has been a huge embarrassment for the country with the news of the ill-treatment of the elephant which was in the procession of a temple, making world news. It has also intensified campaigns to end the use of elephants in religious activities, mainly in the conduct of temple processions.

The discourse over the repatriation of Muthu Raja has led to differing views with several members of the Buddhist clergy seeing the whole incident as an attempt to undermine centuries-old Buddhist practices while the Diyawadana Nilame of the Dalada Maligawa Pradeep Nilanga Dela too has spoken in support of private ownership of domesticated elephants.

As is often the case in Sri Lanka, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) are being blamed for distorting facts and tarnishing the image of the country by spreading false stories of domesticated elephants, many of them used for temple activities, being subject to cruelty and ill-treatment.

The use of elephants in Buddhist religious processions goes back centuries and is a practice close to the heart of the majority of the faithful and some of the sentiments expressed by the clergy and some others is understandable but in an age when public consciousness on the need to protect the rights of animals is at its highest, the need for the use of elephants for religious ceremonies needs careful consideration.

In the well-known Buddhist story, when a wild elephant named Nalagiri was sent by Devadatta to attack Lord Buddha, he used his immense power of loving-kindness and compassion to calm the elephant. This is a story known to all Buddhists and is oft repeated to show the power of compassion and kindness over cruelty toward an animal.  Despite the high esteem which Buddhists hold for elephants, stories of cruelty to elephants, mainly those used for religious processions are reported often and in the cases of Muthu Raja, an extreme case of cruelty was brought to the spotlight due to the hard work of animal rights activists both in Sri Lanka and Thailand, which resulted in the repatriation of the animal.

Muthu Raja’s case also brings into focus the practice of gifting of elephants from one country to another not knowing if the animal would adapt to their new home and no guarantee it would be kept under the right conditions needed for the animal to grow and live in a healthy and happy environment.

In 2021, a Sri Lankan elephant named Kaavan, who had been gifted to a zoo in Islamabad in Pakistan was moved to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia after a high-profile campaign lasting over a year to get the animal out of the appalling condition it was in. Several elephants gifted from Sri Lanka to zoos overseas have also died prematurely. Where Sri Lanka is concerned, in spite of the enthusiasm of animal rights activists and animal lovers, calling for a complete halt to the use of elephants in religious activities is not realistic. Changing centuries-old practices will not happen overnight but what is needed is to ensure that the animals are well looked after and also limiting the use of elephants for religious activities. New laws to allow better inspection of places where domesticated elephants are held as well as mandatory health checks, etc. will go some way to ensure the welfare of the animals.